I don’t know about you, but I hate it when I buy a beautiful piece of fruit from the market, only to bite into it and want to spit it right back out. When a fruit is too ripe or not ripe enough, it’s a major bummer.
On their Healthy Bites blog, Self magazine staffers offer a guide to choosing the best summer fruits:
Apricots: Plump, pretty firm, velvety skin, even in color with a deep yellow, pinkish hue. Store in fridge.
Peaches: Fragrant, pretty firm, no brown spots. You can ripen underipe peaches in a paper bag for a few days.
Plums: Firm (with a slight given whe you press it), plump, heavy, no brown spots, which means it’s been sunburned. You can refrigerate a few days to keep.
Mangoes: Yield slightly to gentle pressure, fragrant, yellow skin blushed with red.
Watermelon: Hard rind that’s dull (not shiny), symmetrical (no flat sides). Slap the side of the melon–if you hear a hollow thump, it’s a sign it’s probably ripe.
Cantaloupe: Sweet scent (but not too strong), deep, thick thump when slapped, heavy.
Tomatoes: Firm (with a slight give when you press it), free from blemishes, and heavy. Don’t refrigerate–cold temps kill the flavor.